Friday, August 14, 2015

In 2004, over 1000 volunteers worked to uncover Fort Tanjong Katong
in Katong Park and, in the process, recovered and fortified their community
ties.

A dry season in 2001 uncovered an outline of a bastion wall,
capturing the attention of Mountbatten resident, Jack Sim, who urged
authorities to investigate the site. In 2004, archaeologists were commissioned to
excavate the buried Fort. The initiative grew at a rapid pace and in space of
four weeks, $200,000 had been raised to fund the excavation.

Archaeologists and volunteers worked tirelessly to uncover a military
structure so intact that experts were quick to call it Singapore’s only ‘true
fort’. It was hailed as one of Singapore’s most important archaeological finds.

The uncovering of the Fort created an atmosphere of euphoria as more
than 1000 volunteers, ranging from students to working professionals, came
together to assist archaeologists. Lim Chen Sian, archaeologist and Head
Project Manager of the 2004 Fort Tanjong Katong excavation, marvelled the
project’s effect on the local community:

“It triggered something in
themselves and their environment [because] it’s more than just ‘My school
teacher told me this’ or ‘My textbook taught me that’. It became something
organic.” – Lim Chen Sian

The Fort stirred a fierce spirit within the residents of
Mountbatten. The discovery of history and the reappearance of a remnant of a
different era created a sense of ownership among the people. They united with a
new spirit – bersatu dengan semangat yang
baru – to uncover and perhaps even recover something they could call their
own. Something unique to their neighbourhood; a landmark they could be proud of.

The restoration of the Fort represented a similar re-building of a
spirit of community buried in the hearts of Mountbatten’s residents. As the Fort
was increasingly revealed, so were the ties of community. The Fort became an
important symbol of the neighbourhood’s identity, something not immediately
obvious, but clearly felt by the hundreds who volunteered in that period.

Unfortunately, efforts to uncover the Fort have run into obstacles over
the years as the government cited costs of excavation and maintenance, and
problems arising from the fact that the Fort extends into state land. It is a
shame that local government organizations like the People’s Association did not
push for initiatives like these to be completed. It is disappointing that
Mountbatten’s political leaders did not seize this momentous opportunity to
listen to its community and work with them to rediscover heritage and
strengthen communal ties. This is certainly a let-down for the community at
large. The Fort not only possesses a historical significance, but it also could
have also served as a symbol of pride and identity for Mountbatten residents
and for Singaporeans at large.

As the over a century-old Fort is reburied into the ground, the
atmosphere of community excitement surrounding it has also died down. The
hundreds of volunteers have since fragmented and moved on with their own lives
– perhaps wistfully holding on to the memory of a time when Mountbatten came
together uncover a piece of history they could claim as their own. In short, a
golden opportunity for community-building has been squandered.

But the short excavation gave us a glimpse of Mountbatten’s
potential. A fort is a defensive structure that allows a group of people to
defend and fight as a stronger unit. It
is designed to turn away foes and to strengthen a community of people. It
surrounds, it protects, and it inspires. It is a physical symbol of the courage
and resilience of a people, because it sends the message, “We are here; we are
in this together; and we are staying.”

But a fort does not need to be standing to draw a community
together. Its metaphorical walls also can remind people of their unity and
spirit.

In 2004, the Fort allowed a community to be greater than the sum of
its parts. The gathering of 1000 enthusiastic
volunteers shows that the community can be strong and vigorous when it is
united for a cause.

I believe that this is but a tantalising taste of what Mountbatten
as a community is capable of when it is able to come together. I only hope that
the community will be given another opportunity to rediscover its identity and
be proud of its heritage.

If elected, I would fight for the well-being of the Mountbatten community,
defend its heritage and champion its unity of spirit.

About Me

Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss is a practising lawyer who earned her law degree in the United Kingdom. She also holds a Masters Degree in Corporate & Commercial Law from the London School of Economics & Political Science and was called to the English Bar in 1986.
Jeannette is happily married and a mother of four children.
She challenged the incumbent at Mountbatten SMC in Singapore's 2011 General Elections and garnered 41.38% of the votes cast.